Working with the Encaustic Hotplate

I recently pulled out my Hotplate and tried a few techniques. I promised not to put any pressure on myself but have fun and just play. Have a look at how it went and what kind of material I used. It was quite liberating :-)

                                           Step One: Have Fun 

                    Keep in mind your work surface is hot so be careful!   

                                                                                                                                                    I attached my encaustic card to the surface of the hotplate with the help of the heatproof tape. This way the card is secured and I could work without being worried that the paper shifts. Next, I applied different colors with the encaustic wax blocks direct on the paper. I had no idea at this point what my finished product would look like.

Next, I decided to use my wax moving tools to draw some shapes. They are made with a silicone tip therefore perfect to use when working on a hot surface. No surprise to me that I ended up with some trees. I just love to draw and it seems I can't get away from them. 

I then wiped the background with a kleenex to make it softer and added some grasslike texture at the bottom of the card. Finally, I highlighted the trees with a bit more yellow wax. After I removed the tape from the card and hotplate I noticed that I wasn't careful enough when I taped it down. Some wax had leaked underneath and I ended up with smudges and my lines were not straight.

Then I placed a piece of black encaustic card on the plate, melted some wax directly on it and drew a pattern with a scrapy (heat moving tool) I used a heat resistant sponge to make the circle pattern. To do that I melted a bit of wax beside the paper, soaked it up with the sponge and applied it to my painting.

Finally pulled a print from my black card and the leftover paint on the hotplate.

I used some rice paper for my print. It soaks up the encaustic paint very well and is thin enough to incorporate it in other encaustic work. Both sides can be used for a different effect.

Happy Painting!

Irene